Droid Antics II
Droid Antics II is a short series of four comic-styled issues written by Haou1987 and the sequel to Droid Antics I. It takes place a year after the first series and revolves around the adventures of Chopper and his friends BB-1 and Arian Vennek. On January 28, Haou1987 revealed a third series will arrive after the end of the second season of Star Wars: Rebels. Issues Chopper the Detective A Weequay thief was rushing past the crowds on Coruscant as two speeders of the Coruscant Security Police rushed past in a skylane. In one of the speeders, Arian Vennek was seated and she used her macrobinoculars to track the thief. She then jumps from the speeder and follows the thief on foot. The crime scene where the thief came from was covered by the CSP with a Human female Captain Talya Borr leading Chopper and BB-1 in along with their new partner R2-X3, a spunky evidence astromech droid with his own manners and protocols. Captain Borr orders them to get all evidence of the scene, while the cambot system used by the shop has been tempered with. BB-1 and Chopper attempt to reassemble it when they find evidence that it might not be the Weequay that stole goods from the shop. Chopper tells R2 to contact Agent Vennek, but R2 seems quite set on closing the case as soon as possible ignoring the evidence to the contrary. Chopper and BB-1 deploy their own tactics, going against the orders from Captain Borr to close the case with the Weequay arrested. Arian does manage to get a hold on the Weequay and transports him back, when BB-1 does find out who might have taken the goods instead of the Weequay, a Human nicknamed Codrex. Before Codrex can escape the shop, BB-1 and Chopper corner him and Arian is able to take him into custody. BB-1 and Chopper have an argument with R2-X3 about him being not in their league, when R2 reveals that this Codrex is involved with Ziro the Hutt, a Hutt crimelord on Coruscant. Being tired of the day, Chopper tells R2 to rely this to Captain Borr as they travel with Agent Vennek back to CSP Headquarters. Hard Return In the aftermath of the store robbery, Chopper and BB-1 are reprimanded by Captain Borr, but thanks to an intervention by Agent Vennek, they are saved from being relieved from duty. Back at the squad room, Arian reveals to her droid squad that she had managed to get a vital piece of evidence from the crimescene that might give them a direct in to Ziro the Hutt's enterprice, but only R2-X3 can read it. R2, while still holding a grudge against the rest of the droid squad of going against the orders of Captain Borr, identifies one of the culprits that have a major asset in Codrex, as being Sian Tevv, a Sullustan lead administrator of the Tevv Conglomerate. Understanding that Codrex utilized one of the Conglomerate's private docking bays as a distribution point, Arian, Chopper and BB-1 set out to the docking bay, but are hindered by Sullustan guards led by Laqua Tevv, an associate of Sian Tevv. Arian is not allowed to speak to Sian Tevv, but manages to buy enough time for BB-1 to slice into a data console and get the necessary bits of intel that they needed. Back at CSP Headquarters, Chopper and BB-1 extrapolate the data and figure out who have been using the docking bay and also find out how the docking bay is connected to the store robbery, as it is a front for Ziro the Hutt. Arian returns to the cell where Codrex is being held, but Captain Borr reveals Codrex has been taken by Homeworld Security Command, due to it being a matter of planet security. Furious that Borr overstepped them, they figured out it was R2-X3 who informed Borr on the intel found and while Chopper and BB-1 wish to shut him down, Arian forgives R2 as R2-X3 only did its job. Armed with what they know, Agent Vennek secures a warrant from the Judicial High General to search the docking bay of the Tevv Conglomerate, while Chopper and BB-1 once again go over the crime scene in the store. The store then is blown up, leaving the faiths of Chopper and BB-1 unknown and Agent Vennek finds the docking bay completely desolated. Chopper against the Law As the smoke of the explosion clears out, both Chopper and BB-1 are revealed to have survived it. While Chopper attempts to find out whether there are any clues salvagable, BB-1 goes looking for the source of the blast. When learning that the blast destroyed any lead the shop might have had towards Codrex or Ziro the Hutt, Chopper attempts to contact Agent Vennek, but is unable to, leading him to contact R2-X3. In the meantime Agent Vennek realizes that she needs to contact the higher ups and calls in Captain Borr telling her of what she found. Captain Borr tells her to stand down as Homeworld Security Command has taken over the case and ordered them to stand down. Captain Borr tells her to report back to HQ. As she leaves, Arian listens in on a conversation between Laqua Tevv and the Black Sun Syndicate planning a few more transports as Laqua hands him a set of codes, which Arian recognizes as being codecards from Republic Senators. She assumes they are Senators either in the pocket of the Tevv Conglomerate or the Syndicate and Codrex was only a middle man. R2-X3 finally manages to get through to her telling what happened to the shop. Arian covertly follows Laqua back to the shop and she manages to alert Chopper and BB-1 from them arriving, only for Arian to be discovered and run into a shop filled with mercenaries. Realizing she has been set up, she attempts to contact HQ, but is cut off. Chopper and BB-1 are locked out of the shop by Arian, unable to help her as she exchanges fire with the mercenaries. When they attempt to reach Captain Borr for reinforcements she informs them the operation was closed and they are operating without her permission. Chopper attempts to bluff her by saying Codrex broke out and is there brokering a deal, but Borr cuts them off leaving Chopper and BB-1 to find a way to help Arian. As is revealed, Codrex is not in captivity of Homeworld Security Command, but in a private cell in the Manarai Mountains complex of the Tevv Conglomerate, overseen by a few truely corrupt officials, including Captain Borr who then tells Laqua Tevv to clean up and leave no survivors. She then contacts their true master, Darth Sidious, who tells them everything is going as he has foreseen. The Conglomerate's control will force the prices up and the taxes installed and the Trade Federation will wage its war, revealing that the Trade Federation and the Conglomerate are in this together. All Good after Bad Chopper and BB-1 managed to break open the door, only to find the shop completely deserted and Agent Vennek heavily injured. They report this in, but this reaches Captain Borr as well, who alerts Laqua Tevv to return and finish the job. Once they return however, Chopper and BB-1 have managed to sneak away with Agent Vennek, transporting her to a nearby medical post of the Coruscant Security Police. Chopper and BB-1 wonder what they should do now to find the culprit behind everything. This is monitored by Captain Borr within the Manarai Mountains who is confronted by the frontman of the Trade Federation, a Neimoidian named Nur Taa, who demands results. As this happens, the high command of the Coruscant Security Police gets notice of what happened to Agent Vennek and wonder why this hasn't been reported as Director Halnth demands results and allows Chopper and BB-1 to lead a cyber investigation into the incident. This quickly uncovers Captain Borr as a culprit and the one behind the abduction of Codrex. Further investigation leads to the uncovering of a group of Senators being outed as conspiring with the Trade Federation. While CSP Agents head over to the Galactic Senate, Chopper and BB-1 accompanied a taskforce led by Director Halnth to the lodgings of Borr, where they only find a lone droid named K-LOM. Despite some resistance, Chopper and BB-1 knock it out and they transfer it to the CSP Headquarters, where it is being searched and scanned by R2-X3 and reports back that there is a message specifically keyed for Agent Vennek or Director Halnth. Since Vennek is knocked out cold still, Director Halnth is informed and she arrives, while R2-X3 is called in to assist Chopper and BB-1. The three droids trace the location of the Captain to the Manarai Mountains and while the three droids join the CSP taskforce and they arrive there, they find it completely desolated but with the Conglomerate having eyes on the CSP Headquarters and they witness the K-LOM droid exploding taking out the Headquarters and killing Director Halnth. The new Junior Assistant Director arrives, taking over control of CSP and it is revealed to be Cassius Gollan, arriving with intel on Codrex and Borr, leading to a direct arrest of Borr but Codrex has disappeared. As later is revealed Codrex was working for Darth Sidious all along, and his real name to be Ander Borr, the son of Captain Borr. Darth Sidious then reconvenes with the Tevv Conglomerate and the Trade Federation, represented by Nute Gunray and Nur Taa. Darth Sidious announces that the Trade Federation and the Conglomerate now have secured a seat in the Senate and that the plans for Naboo can go on its way. Chopper, R2-X3 and BB-1 visit Agent Vennek in the medical post, where they learn she is grateful for what they did but are saddened when she announces she is going to retire from the CSP. When they return to the CSP Headquarters, Director Gollan informs them that they have been possibly compromised and lets the droids go from service of the Police. The three droids then just leave in the sunset, on their way to a new adventure. Series 1 - 2 - 3